On 9 July, the Strategic Command Operations of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces has reported that it shoot down unidentified aircraft with a U.S. serial identification number as it violated the country’s airspace.

“CEOFANB reports that the United Aerospace Defence Command detected an aircraft with a US hull number intruding Venezuelan airspace overnight 8 July and neutralized it with military jets according to protocols”, the military said on Twitter.

Some sources reported that fighter jets of the Bolivarian Venezuelan Military Aviation forced a ‘narco jet’ transporting cocaine to land. After landing in the field, the crew allegedly set fire to the plane to hide all evidence.

According to the Mehrnews.com, attached to the post were images of the “neutralized” plane on fire. One could read serial number N339AV on its tail.

According to Flightradar, it was a privately-owned Hawker 800 plane. Its latest registered flight route was in Mexico, from the central Toluca state to Cozumel island in the Caribbean.

#ULTIMAHORA|| #CEOFANB informa que el @CODAI_FANB, detectó en la medianoche del #07JUL20 el ingreso de una Narcoaeronave con matrícula #EEUU a nuestro espacio aéreo y una vez aplicado el protocolo de Ley se procedió a su NEUTRALIZACIÓN con aeronaves de nuestra Aviación Militar. pic.twitter.com/6JtCVLj8bo

— @ceofanb (@Libertad020) July 8, 2020